June meeting notes
Return to July 11, 2005 Technology Advisory Committee Planning Meeting Paul suggested that our technology plans are related to two questions – a question of course design and a question of curriculum. What is it we should be teaching and how we should teach it. Technology is like a moving target in that it is developing daily. There are new understandings about how the Internet works as well as new software and platforms. “It is not so much that you need to know Flickr as it is the need to know how to use it if you want/need to.” Technology plans for the 2005-2006 school-year Paying teachers/tcs to for technology products *Pay teachers to blog. We would pay individuals – selected teachers - to write x number of entries per year or for a specified period of time and staff to write the blog. This might be integrated with posting the NYCWP newsletter on line. *Pay teachers to produce something for their classrooms, possibly linked to the curriculum/teaching ideas in Teacher-to-Teacher booklet. For example, a teacher may take the India Gallery walk and produce an on-line version with links to websites and other resources. :*Pay a more technologically advanced group to create the documentation as practice guides for learning how to complete specific tasks, such as, posting pictures, creating links, using bloglines, etc. Offer a number of different professional development opportunities/events for teachers at different stages of technology/writing project development :*Ken indicated that the technology folks from the “old” alternative superintendency were reforming. He suggested that we might invite some of these folks in to join our work. Ken feels that the distinction between our work and that of the Alternative Tech group is that the WP begins with the practice and then introduces the technology whereas the AT group begins with the technology and was beginning to look at how technology use influenced practice. :*We also talked about the types of technology learning that could be offered. Some teachers may need some very basic skills, such as learning how to read in a computer mediated environment; how to set up computers for easy navigation on the Internet; advanced use of Word and other software. Reconfigure technology sessions :*so that there are a number of sessions (3-4) up front followed by a period for people to put what they learned into practice in their classrooms. It would end with a final session in which participants would share what they had done. :*Meet twice a week for 4 weeks and then come back together at some point or points for sharing and further support. :*We also discussed offering technology professional development in modules so that teachers could take modules that deal with specific issues and go as deeply as they want with what they are learning. :*Hold a blogging retreat of 2 or 3 full days which would allow teachers concentrated time to practice what they are learning. Develop online curriculum Use Writing Project strategies as bases for developing on-line curriculum (see Galley Walk and Teacher-to-Teacher idea above). Documentation for Technology steps :*Put together a team of tcs to develop the documentation for a course and then co-coordinate the course. The team might consist of 10 people, 2 of whom would teach the course and several others (5-7) to work as interns helping individuals with the technology during the course. Professional Development for tcs :*Scheduling technology sessions for the teacher consultants on Fridays as part of our own professional development. Return to July 11, 2005 Technology Advisory Committee Planning Meeting